Web 2.0 Exploration

    One of this week's discussion topics is to question if we are truly international thanks to worldwide accessible information and translation tools. I would like to contemplate further on this topic.      Most folks replied that No, we are not, which I strongly resonate with. My reasons are a bit different. The limitation and imperfection of technology such as translation tools and algorithm are noticeable. However, I think the striking factor lies in the mindset and intention of users. If users are keen on exploring various news and perspectives from other parts of the world, they will find ways to do that. Otherwise, even with unlimited access and perfect tools, they don't care to connect and learn beyond their borders.     The implication for education, I think, is to motivate the Why of using social media or tools to access worldwide information, ideas and perspectives. Motivation can't be instructed, but can be experienced through real-life interactions and experien

     In Vietnam, it is common for learners to utilize popular social platforms to discuss ideas and questions of the lesson rather than adopting a specified LMS or class management software. Facebook is one of the most popular social platforms in Vietnam, thus becoming a popular class discussion tool for Vietnamese learners (K-12, higher education or corporate).     For STEM subjects, students can post photos of subject-related problems, such as a chemical equation or a mathematical calculation, in a Facebook group and get responses from others. An IELTS reading comprehension question can be clarified in an IELTS practice Facebook group. In addition to discussions, new classes can create a Facebook group for members to interact with each other and access teachers' announcements.     How is Facebook used for learning in your country or state?

     Zalo is the most popular social messaging platform in Vietnam, like Messenger, Whatsapp or Telegram. Tailored for Vietnam market, Zalo provides almost everything that I need from a social messaging platform, making it even outstanding over international social messaging tools. By telling more about some typical Zalo features and what I like about them, I think you can get some new ideas of what a social messaging platform can be.     It is common for Vietnamese to ask each other "Do you have a Zalo number?", which means "Does this phone number tie to your Zalo account?". Each Zalo account is identified uniquely with a phone number, which makes almost everyone own a Zalo account. People change from contacting through charged phone service into free Zalo (call, messaging). It is accessible and free. I can easily find anyone in Zalo by searching their phone number in the Zalo directory. It is, however, sensitive with privacy concerns.     Due to its high popularit

     Richardson & Milovidov (2019) highlighted three aspects of online wellbeing, ethics and empathy, health and well-being, and e-Presence and communication. I then come up with some suggestions  in each aspect  to care for wellbeing online.  Ethics and empathy: Consume online products with clear contexts to understand others' perspectives. Pause to regulate overwhelming emotions. Deeply "listen" to others without making judgements or rush conclusions. Healthy and well-being: Moderate time spent online, especially on social media, through self-discipline and tracking apps. Use Pomodoro technique to manage time effectively and stay focused with intervals away from screen. Set up the space where online activities take place (workplace and home) to ensure correct posture that is not harmful for the spine. Do exercises during break time to eliminate effects of long  screen time on different parts of the body such as shoulders, neck and spine. e-Presence and communication

      Learning Analytics has become a popular domain to collect, analyze and interpret behavior and performance of learners. Specifically for networked knowledge activities, Social Learning Analytics (SLA) has emerged as a subset of the major domain. Let's explore what SLA means.      Buckingham Shum and Ferguson (2012)  defined SLA as the collection and measurement of students’ produced digital artefacts and online interactions in formal and informal settings in order to analyze their activities, social behaviors, and knowledge creation in a social learning setting. SLA is concerned with the social learning environment where learning takes place.     There are   five categories of SLA under the umbrella of “inherent social analytics” and “socialized analytics.” The inherent SLA categories include: (i) social learning network analytics (SLNA), which employ networked approaches to study student interactions when they are socially engaged; and (ii) social learning discourse analytics

   Nonviolent communication (NVC) is a communication principle that I apply in daily life for harmonious relationships. This week's exploration of digital citizenship and cyberbully make me contemplate over how to use NVC in social media so that we can build meaningful interactions and trusted relationships in an online sphere.     " NVC is based on the principle of  Ahimsa  — the natural state of compassion when no violence is present in the heart. It is a way of being in the world that has the purpose is to serve life and to create connection in such a way that everyone’s needs can be met through natural care" (Marshall Rosenberg). Let the principle guide our spirit and actions. As we shouldn't want or do anything to make anyone feel hurt, the same applies either for virtual or in-person settings. It is first an intention in one's heart. Practically, when we see social media contents or people that may trigger our emotional outbursts, pausing and balancing emoti

    In the best UI UX course I have ever taken, Erik's Learn UX Design, it is recommended for product designers to build a design repository as an inspiration source of ideas and lessons learnt. That tip has tremendously honed my design skill by analyzing strengths and weaknesses of different designs that I came across. Being analytic to be innovative.   The attached screenshots are a part of my UI UX design reference library that fuels my inspiration and tell me what to do and not to do. It needs to be built up over time with curiosity and consistency, as it is dubbed "library". These screenshots are specifically for Onboarding interface, serving as an example of how a design library works.

             Prioritization is both a skill and duty of a product manager. Frameworks can facilitate the thinking process of prioritization and the prioritization process itself. They also help present the prioritization outputs in a structured and convincing manner to discuss with related stakeholders. I compile some established methods that will help product managers prioritize better. RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) scoring model  Critical path (prioritizing tasks within a primary flow) Kano model (rank items against user’s perceived value) Importance vs Satisfaction framework (Product lean start-up) ROI scorecard (prioritize based on return on investment) MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, and Will not have) scoring scheme Weighted scoring Value vs. complexity Buy-a- feature Opportunity scoring      To use the prioritization frameworks effectively, I recommend first exploring details of several frameworks (what it can be used for, some use cases or examples, how i

      Ideation is a critical step in the design thinking process to create new product ideas, based on insights collected from the previous research and defining step. Ideation creates a blueprint to make prototypes. The below list is several ideation techniques that I found useful, some of which I have applied and witnessed many novel ideas generated (such as Crazy eight and Reverse brainstorming).     According to Fullerton (2008), m any of the techniques aim at generating unexpected ideas from the collision of chance and the unconscious mind. Also, they call for collaborative efforts from different participants who come from various backgrounds and contribute diverse perspectives. Idea cards: Take a deck of index cards and write a single idea on each one. Then mix them up in a bowl. Now take out the cards and pair them. For example, “nectar” might appear with “giants.” Perhaps, your next game will include “nectar giants,” whose bodies are fluid and smell like persimmons. You can co